Practicing apparatus for golf players



5mg.v 12j; 192s.A 1.-,603,094

J. OWENS v PRAC'I'ICIIG APPARATUS. FR GOLF PLAYERS I Filed July 9., 192e z/ 2l 2d uumlmnf i Patented ct. 127,r 11926.;

' @meow-refe er ,meson,i'nessmerssms RACTIC'INGQPPAMTUS Een comi ruimte,

Applicata# mediums, i926.-V seriinqlzigsm;

They object of this linventionis lto* provide anapparatus' including* .al captive ball',

whereby' a golf/playermay'acqulrefpro'- ciency `in makingfvarous strokes used in Jthe game, and may receive `ocular demonstration of errors inthe direction off driving and other strokes. Y (E 0f the accompanying drawings forming Vviews Ushowing mod iication SQ`` showing portions 'ofthe rod and here tively, 035:' the spacing; inemberfand the reel ymember `hereinafter 'describedf Figure .9-is a fragmentary sectional vievv,

Vvinafter described," A 1 v The` same reference "fcharfactersA indieate the salme parts in allof the figures,

' the drawings, '12 dsignates''agtether.- supporting rod supported horizontally by Va''standard 1 3, having bearings 14 inwhich .the'rod VY'is ixedl by setv 'screw s' 'f1 5.' The standard mayv `be a'fnetal lcasting having a v'base 16 bolted to a post 17, drivenzintog the l ;ground.v The standard may 'be otherwise supported with, .the 110'd12-y suitablyV elevated Y "abovethe groundr'for4 any other supporting surfaceion ivhichfa 4pracftioin'g1 player` may stand.' The i'od'projects laterally'from 5 "the standardfand isfs'urroundedfby an uli-- iobpstructe'dfspace. `in Whichjjthe tether Vand ,captive `practicev ball: hereinafter' described may revolve about the rod.

` Suspendedfrom the projecting portionio'f Vthe Arod isa flexible tether 18, with `the re'e -f end of'whi'ch va'practice ball 18?,"s'uch1as a golfball, is connected.y The tethermaly be 'a' loop of cordior rope Aas'shovvn byFigure 2, an endzportion of 'the lopp'bearing on the surfaceY cfa peripheral groove "19 (Figure in the rod, sothfatfit is confined 'against movement lengthwise ofthe rod.` [If dgsired,'.'however, th'e 14tether may be engaged vvith the rod, as shown "byFigure, s othat thet portion b'earing on the rodlis confined against ymovement f lengthwisejfoi the Hrod,

. theA tether beingl looped around-the .rodi and' connedbyafproje'ction 12fon thel rod.l VThe arrangement such 'thatl` when" the balli is; 'struck a club, the: stroke being 1n "a direction substantially vvvat 'righty angles Withfthe "rod, the 'ball'is revolved-and the l" v Y tetherV eonvolutedabout the rodzl the stroke fis Aperfect as to direction',''th'e clonlvofV lutifonrslSa4 of the rtetl'ier `v vill be superi'nif4 posed upon each otherf-Without'- assuming either of 'the helical 'arrangements shovyn byY tlf@4 convolutions will 'behelically arranged eXtending to the right as shown 'byrFi'gu-re 3. *If the stroke iis" Af"slice, "the convolutions Vwill rbe helically arranged'jext'ending .i I Vrefer yto provide a spacingmem'ber associ-ated with the rod, .to i space apart the convolutions "18?l When the "strokeis 'either vvapullv or as'lice, and a `reel 'member asso'- 'ciated'vvith the rod' and forming'ftherevvith a 'ree'l vadapted to elongate for enlarge the 'convolutions, and.' thereb. yamplify ant error f in.` the stroke'whichz convolutesthe tether.

" thesef ends providey Athe?projecting portion vtof." the fi'od -vvith a' :screw-thread '12??v :fand engage therewith/means for securing to t the rod a spacing member and' a 'reel-iinen'ij ber," each offset frorn the Lrod ndff extending parallel therewithi f The spaeing member v`is, y

2 2 is clamped between two,y nuts 24, engaged Lan?inwardly bent end :23a '(lFigure'f'r') en- :tering the. outer fend fof va fchucl; 25,' engaged `'with `the outerfend- :portiony :of Atherod :172, and `provided With avvs2`5a :shown conventionally' perfect.

`tof-form 'la centralportion26aoiset from, and

extending parallel with, :the rod '12, 'j and arms 27 and28Y extending :inward from the ]It 'Will be 'seen by reference to frFiigures Siandhthat the notches 21 are'adapted'to 'receive and space apart :the convolutions 188*V one of the notchesy being vertically fi-allined With the groove 19, sthat-itreceives fall of thew convolutons when the stroke `,is

-' "The reel: member Inaybeawireyrodbent portion 26, the arm 27 being clamp'ledfbetween the nuts 2&1, while the arm 28 has an inwardly bent end portion 28ZL entering the chuck and gripped by the jaws thereof. When the tether is convoluted as described, the convolutions bear on the rod, the reel Y member, and the spacing member, and are elongatedfor enlarged as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2. l/Vhen the tether is vconvoluted and comes to rest, the ball is raised, as indicated by Figures 3 and 4c, so that an unwinding operation is required to restore j the tether and ball to thev operative condition shown by Figure 2. This operation may be performed automatically by the modified construction shownvby' Figure 6, in

which the rod 12 is provided with a sleeve 30, having a flange 31, containing convolutionspacing notches 32. The -tether is engaged at one end with an eye 33, `fixed t the sidei of the sleeve opposite the flange. The sleeve is adaptedto turn on the fixed rod and is normally'held yieldingly-w'ith the :flange 31, projecting upward, andthe y eye 33 projecting downward, by a torsion to rest, the tether being convoluted and ther ball raised, as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 6, thev spring reacts and rotates the sleeve in the direction required to Vunwind the tether and allow 'the ball to drop.V This `form ofthe apparatus is intended for usein practicing putting strokes.

As shown by Figure 1, the rod 12 is extended to project laterallyl from oppositel sides of the standard 13. On the projecting portion shown at the left in Figure 1, is mounted tov rotate loosely a disk 38, from the perimeter of which is suspended a relatively short flexible tether 39, with which is connecteda practice ball 40. When the ball is struck by a club, itsmomentum causes the rotation ofthe disk, the ball being held outward by centrifugal force, so that the ball and tether revolve about the axis formed by the rod 12, the disk rotating on said axis. The number of revolutions of the ball depends on the force of the stroke, which may be determined by counting 4the number of revolutions. rlhis portion of the apparatus is useful in improving the force of players drive. Y

The apparatus may the be used las the equipment of the teacher of a class of golfers,

'Y each'using thev apparatus in turn, and each watching the use by the others.

I 'claimzr 1. A practicing apparatusl for` golf holding rod, supporting means maintaining the rod spaced above a .surface on whichV the player stands when practicing, a flexible tether suspended from the rod, and a practice ball connected withthe .free end of the tether, the rod beingsurrounded by an unobstructed space permitting a revolution of Vthe ball and tether about the rod, the arrangement being such that when the ball is struck by a club, the stroke being in a direction substantially at right angles with the rod, the ballis revolved andthe tether convoluted about the rod, the form assumed by the convolutions of the tether indicating the direction of the stroke, so that the player is Vinformed whether the stroke isv perfect, or is erroneous, and is either a slice or a pull.

2. A practicing apparatus as specified by claim 1, comprising also a spacing member.

associated with the' rod for spacing the tether convolutionsapart Vwhen the convoluting stroke is either aslice or a pull.

3.A A practicing apparatus asspecified by claim 1, comprising also a spacing-member extending beside the rod having arseries ofnotches arranged to engage convolutions of the tether, and space thesame apartwhen the stroke is either a slice or a pull, one of. i

the notches being'arranged to receive all .of the convolutionswhen the stroke is perfect.

4. A practicing apparatus as specified by claimY 1, comprising `also a reel member spaced laterally from the rod and forming therewith a reel adapted to elongate' the eonvolutions of the tether, and thereby amplify anlerror in the stroke whichconvolutes the tether. y

5. A` practicing yapparatus for golf players comprising a xe'd upright-standard, a horizontal rod fixed to the standard Y andpr'ojectinglaterallytherefrom, a flexible tether suspended from the projecting 'portion of the rod, a practiceV ballconnected with the free end of the tether, the projecting portionof the rod being .screw-threeded,V 4

Aizontalrod fixed to the standard and projecting from opposite sides thereof, a flex- .ibletether suspended from, one of the projecting portions of the rod, a practice bal] connected with' the free endof the tether, in'- dicating. means secured v.to ksaid `projecting portion, .adapted to cooperatel with Ythe tether in indicating the direction of a'stroke,

.1,603,094 Y Y y e a disk mounted to'rotate loosely on' the op-"tially at right angles With therod, the ball .posite projecting portion of the rod,aiexib1eand tether revolve about the rod, the disk` tether suspended from the periphery of the being rotated on the rod by force exerted 10 ydisk, and a practice ball connected withy the thereon by the ball and tether.

free end of the tether, the arrangementbe- In testimony whereof I have aixed my ing such that when the bali is struck'by d signature. f f l y n club, the stroke being in a directionsubstan-l y y JAMES OWENS. 

